Michael Fraser to step down as City of Troy spokesman

TROY -- Mayor Lou Rosamilia's administration will be saying farewell to its spokesman for the past year as he prepares to start a new job with the New York State Legislature.

City spokesman Mike Fraser will be leaving on March 1 to take over as director of communications for the office of Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb. In the year he spent as the city spokesman, Rosamilia said Fraser sometimes acted as a mentor in the world of politics, as he considers himself a "citizen mayor."

"He was able to give me a different point of view," Rosamilia said, adding he would go to Fraser numerous times to get his take on a situation. "I could see things one way, but Mike would know of other situations. I would say, 'How would you see this coming about?'"

When Rosamilia first came into office, he was accepting applications for a spokesman. He came upon Fraser's, which he said showed good writing skills and political savvy. Public perception of Fraser was he was a Republican, as he had worked not only in former Gov. George Pataki's administration, but also on the campaign for Denise Sheehan, the Republican candidate for Town of Colonie Supervisor.

But political affiliation wasn't an issue for Rosamilia, as he said he was searching for the most qualified person for the position. Fortunately, Fraser also proved to be a great team player.

"There's no reference to him as a Republican or a Democrat. I don't refer to him like that," Rosamilia said. "Michael represents to me as someone who always had my back and who looked out for the best interest of the mayor."

Fraser said he didn't know Rosamilia or Deputy Mayor Pete Ryan until he went through the interview process. He said he appreciated the opportunity offered to him to be spokesman, calling it a "great professional and personal experience for me."

"I'm committed to the people who showed me the support and took a chance on me," Fraser said. "That kind of loyalty doesn't go away."

Rosamilia said there isn't time to go through another application process and said he will be accepting suggestions from other individuals as to who would be good for the position. Still, he's looking to fill the void with someone who has good communication skills and political know-how.

"I'm looking to find the best individual to move our vision forward," Rosamilia said. "And I am very confident we will find somebody."

In the past year, Fraser said he was able to learn the inner workings of city government as well as establish friendships with many of his fellow coworkers. While he was upset that he will have to leave working in City Hall behind, he also said he was sad to miss out on all of the changes the city will be seeing, such as the revitalization of North Central and the One Monument Square development project.

"There's so much good stuff on the horizon," Fraser said. "Those are the things I'm going to miss."